Chapter 6 Chapter Six

With my mind in a tangle, I hurried my lookout car away from the glowing spherical building and plunged down a dark, cold street.The cold night has come hastily; it will be nine o'clock soon, and it is time for me to look out again. Gorman's sarcasm roared in my head.All of this was carefully arranged by him: he lured us to the "Mouth of Truth", made me admit my loss of faith, and made Afluela speak the truth, but what he cruelly voluntarily said was He didn't need to hide it, he deliberately made me sad. Is that "Mouth of Truth" a hoax?Can Gorman really lie and get away with it? "

Never in my life have I looked out during a lookout time that wasn't my own.At this time the situation is very bad, I can't wait until nine o'clock.Squatting on the cold and windy street, I turned on my observation car, adjusted the instruments, and quickly entered the observation state like a diver. My expanded consciousness roared at the stars. I walk in the endless universe like a god, and feel the impact of the solar wind, but I am not a flying person, and I will not be crushed by its power.I fly past these angry particles of light into the dark lands at the edge of the sun.Another kind of pressure came to the fore.

There are starships ahead. This is not a cruise ship carrying alien tourists to our ancient world, nor a registered commercial transport ship, nor a scoop ship collecting interstellar gas, nor a supply ship running on a hyperbolic orbit. This is a rare alien military spacecraft, dark and menacing.I can't judge the number, only know that they are flying in the direction of the earth, there are many lights, pushing the conical deflection energy device in front.This cone is exactly what I've felt before, and I felt it the night before, rumbling through my instrument into my brain, enclosing me like a crystal cube through which its stress The structure is unobstructed and radiant.

This is what I've been looking out for all my life. I was trained to feel it.I prayed that I would never feel it, and then, in the midst of emptiness, I wished I could feel it, and then I didn't really believe in it anymore.Thanks to Ugly Gorman, squatting on the cold street outside the "Mouth of Truth" in Rome, I finally felt it when I looked ahead. As long as a well-trained lookout is convinced of his judgment, he should immediately break the lookout and sound the alarm.As usual, I changed the frequency one after another, conducted all-round observation, and still felt the huge force that was moving towards the earth with great speed.

Either I was delusional, or the invasion had actually arrived.However, I couldn't get out of the lookout to sound the alarm. I stayed there reluctantly, retrieving sensory data, fiddled with the instrument, and finally regained my confidence.I secretly warned myself that I was wasting precious time, and it was my duty to get out of this shameful state of joking with fate, and to notify Earth Guardian immediately. Finally, I broke free from the shackles of the watch state and returned to the world I guarded. Afluela was next to me, biting her finger, looking dazed and panicked. "Watchman, watchman, do you hear me? What's the matter? What's the matter?"

"There's an alien invasion coming," I said, "how long have I been watching?" "Half a minute. I don't know. I thought you were dead with your eyes closed." "What Gorman said is true! The invasion is coming. Where is he now? Where has he gone?" "He disappeared after we came out of the mouth," Afluela whispered. "Watchman, I'm terrified, it's like the sky is falling. I have to fly away, I can't be here right now." "Wait," I said, trying to grab her but not her arm. "Don't go now. I need to sound the alarm first, then..."

But she had already started to take off her coat, exposing her upper body, her thin body shimmering in the night light.The crowd coming and going next to them had no idea what was about to happen.I wanted Afluela to stay with me, but I couldn't waste any more time.So I turned around and went back to the lookout car. As in a dream, a dream born of long anticipation, my hand reaches for the button I never use that will transmit the alarm to the Guardians of the Earth. Has someone sounded the alarm already?Is there someone who feels threatened like me, but not as confused as I am, and has sounded the alarm?No no.If that's the case, I should be hearing sirens shrieking over Rome by now.

My hand touched the button, but I caught a glimpse of Afluela, stripped of her encumbrance, kneeling in prayer, giving strength to her frail wings.She's going to be in the air in no time, and I won't be able to catch her. I hastily sounded the alarm. Suddenly, I became aware of a tall figure striding towards us.It's Gorman, I thought; I straightened up from the apparatus, and stretched my hands toward him; I wanted to grab him tight.It was not Gorman, however, but a courteous round-faced squire.He said to Afluela: "Don't worry, flying man, the Prince of Rome has asked me to take you to him."

He grabbed her and she tried to break free, chest heaving, eyes glaring at the attendant. "Let me go! I want to fly!" "This is the order of the Prince of Rome," said the squire, wrapping her in his thick arms. "Prince Rome has other business tonight," I said, "and she is not needed." At this time, sirens sounded over Rome. The squire let go of Afluela, opened and closed his mouth but said nothing; he made a gesture of divine protection; looking into the air, he muttered: "Alarm! Who sent it?Is that you, old man? " People on the street immediately ran wildly.

Afluela ran past me barefoot, wings ajar, and disappeared into the crowd.Amidst the eerie blare of sirens, public loudspeakers began broadcasting defense and safety instructions over and over again.A tall, lanky man with a Guardian of the Earth mark on his cheek rushed towards me, yelled, and continued down the street.The whole world seems to be in chaos. Only I didn't panic at all, looking up at the sky, I really hoped to see the black spaceship of the invaders hovering above the towers of Rome. "Gorman?" I called. "Afluela?" I am left alone. I suddenly felt a strange emptiness.The alarm was sounded, the intruder was on its way, and there was nothing more for me to do.Now there is really no need for watchers.I fondle my broken car, which has been with me for so many years.I run my fingers over the mottled, potholed instruments; then I turn, leave the lookout van, and walk alone down the darkened street, feeling relieved.While realizing the value of life, I also lost the meaning of life.All around is chaos.